Hair curler



Jan. 19, 1937. A AN 2,068,602

HAIR CURLER Filed Aug'. 15, 1933 INVENTOR ism/fly GOOOMA/V.

.. 7 h BY 77 a ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 19, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE HAIR CURLER ware Application August 15, 1933, Serial No. 685,172

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to hair-curling devices of the general type in which there is a form, commonly a hollow tube, around which the hair is wound, and an arm or other member for holding the hair in place on the tube; and

relates to a more specific type in which the hairretaining member is elastic, to be stretched over the hair, from a fixed connection at one end of the tube, to some means at the other end of the tube for holding the elastic in stretched, hairretaining position. More particularly, the invention relates to improved means whereby to lock the elastic in hair-retaining position, and to release the same therefrom.

Heretofore, in devices of this latter character, some exploration with the fingers, fumbling and pulling of the hair has commonly been involved in finding the proper point of the elastic member to be seized for stretching thereof to locking position, and more especially for unlocking the same. Other devices have presented difficulties in finding and bringing together the co-acting locking elements on the elastic member and tube; and in disconnecting or unlocking these members without pulling of the hair; while in still others of the devices the lock has been uncertain in its hold, or becomes so by wearing of the locking elements. Again, in other devices fingerpieces for manipulating the hair-retaining ele- 3 ment, and the locking elements themselves, have been of shape, size or material such as to be uncomfortable to the wearer, or unnecessarily unsightly.

An object of the invention is'the provision of a finger piece, in the form of a loop in the elastic member itself, whereby the elastic member may with certainty be seized at the proper point thereof for stretching the same to locking position, and for unlocking the same. A further object of the invention is the provision of a locking element so mounted and fixed upon the elastic hair-retaining member, behind the finger piece or loop thereof, that when the elastic member is tensioned by the finger piece, the locking element is under a comparatively rigid control, and is not free to hang or wobble, or to require the same to be seized or guided by the operators fingers.

50 The foregoing and other objects and features of the invention will appear more fully from the following description thereof, it being understood that modifications in the details herein described and shown may be made without departing from 55 the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the device in locked condition;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 -5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the device in unlocked condition;

Fig. 4 shows a sheet metal blank out of which a combined hook and clinch for the finger-piece l0 loop on the cord may be formed; and,

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a modified form of the device with the elastic retaining cord in unlocked position.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the device is shown 15 as comprising a hollow tube ll], of familiar style, made of light sheet metal, perforated as at H for hair-drying circulation of air, and open at both ends I2 and I3.

Secured to the end l2 of tube [0, as by being 20 passed through one of the perforations H and then knotted at Id at one end, in such manner that the knot is within the tube and. will not pass through the perforation, is an elastic cord l5. This cord, so anchored at one end to one end 25 of the tube, has its other, or free, or distal end made into a loop l6, which serves as the fingerpiece hereinbefore mentioned.

This finger-piece loop in the cord is made by turning the distal end of the cord back on itself, 30 and by clinching the end of the cord to the side of the cord, as by a sheet metal band 11. In the preferred form of the invention this band I! is formed from a part l8 of the blank l9, shown in Fig. 4, from which the hook, hereinbefore mentioned, is also preferably made.

The hook 20 is shown in the drawing as mounted on the cord l5 at the base of the loop l6, so that the fingers grasp the cord beyond the hook in drawing the hook to locking position, and in 40 releasing the hook. There is therefore no gravity droop of the hook as it comes into or out of locking position; it is at all such times under fairly rigid control; and the locking and unlocking movements may therefore always be quick and sure. Preferably, as shown in Fig. 4, the

'hook is stamped from a sheet metal blank [9,

having a part 18, as above stated, from which the finger-piece clinch is formed. 5 In operation, the hair is wound in the usual manner upon the hollow tubular form In; the cord l5 being thrown to one side so that free swing of the hand and hair may be had without any manipulating of the hair under the cord.

The cord is then seized by the finger piece M5, and drawn lengthwise of the tube, and down upon the hair, until by stretching the elastic, the hook 20 passes the end l3 of the tube, whereupon the hook is pressed behind said end and snaps into interlocking engagement with the rim or edge thereof, to be held so locked against all accidental displacement by the tension of the cord itself. To unlock the device, it is merely necessary to take hold of the finger-piece l6 and pull on the same, to stretch the cord sufficiently to pass the hook clear of the tube end l3.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, a free end portion 2| of the loop or finger-piece l6 extends beyond the band I! and carries a ball 22 at its extremity, which ball is preferably of smaller diameter than the open end l3 of the tube It). Said open end forms a socket for receiving the ball, and is provided at its edge with a slot 23 that engages the end portion 2| of the elastic hair-retaining cord l5, when the latter is in locked position, to hold the ball in place by the tension of the cord and to securely lock the parts.

What I claim is:

1. A hair curler comprising a tubular member around which hair may be wound, an elastic clamping member secured to one end of the tubular member and stretchable lengthwise of the tubular member over the hair wound thereon, fastening means at the free end of the clamping member for detachably fastening said end to the opposite end of the tubular member, and a finger grip piece carried at the free end of the clamping member and extending outwardly beyond the fastening means.

2. A hair curler comprising a tubular member around which hair may be wound, an elastic clamping cord secured to one end of the tubular member and stretchable lengthwise of the tubular member over the hair wound thereon, the free end of said clamping cord being formed into a loop to provide a finger grip piece, a clinching band securing the ends of the loop, and a hook on the clinching band for detachably fastening the free end of the elastic clamping cord to the opposite end of the tubular member, said finger grippiece extending outwardly beyond the hook.

3. A hair curler comprising an open-ended tubular member around which hair may be Wound, an elastic clamping cord secured to one end of the tubular member and stretchable lengthwise of the tubular member over the hair wound thereon, the free end of said clamping cord being turned back on itself and clinched to form a finger grip loop, a ball carried at the extremity of the clamping cord and adapted to be removably inserted into the opposite open end of the tubular member for detachably fastening the free end of the clamping cord to said end 01' the tubular member, said finger grip loop extending outwardly beyond the ball.

ABRAHAM GOODMAN. 

